Best of 2017

Let’s be honest: Overrated was the official flavor of 2017. No matter your age or interest group, this year’s message has been: ‘No, you really can’t beat ’em.' So we’re joining in, with Inc.’s list of the most overrated stories in the Chicago celebrity universe. Lady Gaga reveals why she and Taylor...

This was no ordinary year for music in Chicago, or just about anywhere else, for that matter. Reports by national media outlets of alleged sexual misconduct rocked the highest echelons of classical music, an industry unaccustomed to receiving this kind of attention. It took no more than a few news...

As we prepare to roll into a new year of concerts, here are my favorite shows from 2017: 1. Kendrick Lamar at United Center, July 27: He was a man alone onstage playing multiple roles: “Kung Fu Kenny”; street kid who barely made it out of Compton, Calif., alive; philosopher-poet meditating on big...

In a slow year, the Chicago museum scene is dynamic, intellectually invigorating and the source of endless potential hours of fact-based entertainment. 2017 was not a slow year. Innovation and change were on the menu and in the galleries in a year that promised to bring in new museums, reshaped...

Lists are fun. More importantly, they represent a chance to celebrate excellence. Hence my annual look at the 10 best performances in homegrown Chicago theater in 2017. (Sorry, Nick Cartell in the touring “Les Miserables,” you were superb.) I make due acknowledgment both of all the great work omitted...

The past year proved rewarding for anyone who ventured to our clubs and concert halls. Following is one listener’s diary of the best jazz concerts of 2017: March 3: Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra and Chicago Symphony Orchestra in Orchestra Hall. What happens when the world’s most formidable jazz...

In a year when the political and international drama went up to 11, Chicago theaters offered up a raucous and rousing array of productions, from world premieres to classic revivals. Here are 10 shows — listed alphabetically — that stood out as best in class. “Born Yesterday” by Remy Bumppo Theatre...

With a new architecture biennial, a big Frank Lloyd Wright anniversary and a series of small gems, it was a very good year for Chicago architecture. Here are the highlights: A Chicago double for L.A. architects: The second version of the Chicago Architecture Biennial built on the legacy of the...